Spider-Man is celebrating Amazing Spider-Man #50 from writer Zeb Wells with a legacy numbering of #944, getting us ever closer to the coveted 1,000th issue. Given the cover, Green Goblin returns, but a lot more is going on in this big and in-your-face visual feast of an issue.
Extra-sized as it hits its milestone 50th issue, Ed McGuinness steals the show with some of the coolest art you’ll see all year. McGuinness uses the extra pages to feature massive double-page splashes of Green Goblin, tons of dynamic fight scenes, and plenty of maniacal moments for Green Goblin to go nuts in.
As far as the story goes, Wells progresses quite a bit, first introducing the Living Brain, who transforms and then dropping the hammer on Norman’s change. Sure, we saw it coming, but it’s interesting to think of the Green Goblin not as a man but almost as a spirit inside him. That spirit element connects with the big cliffhanger involving Spider-Man, which, again, was kind of spoiled already.
Before all the Goblin madness starts, there’s a fun opening scene involving a realtor. Wells smartly doesn’t give us too much info on what is going on, adding a bit of mystery as we piece together what the real estate agent was doing. The two-page scene captures Spidey’s attitude quite well. This is the Peter Parker you know and love.
Here he comes to save the day!
Credit: Marvel
The main story does suffer if you’ve been reading news on the tale of the series, as it doesn’t come as any big surprise when Norman reveals another side of himself. The big cliffhanger has also been spoiled, and given the zigging and zagging of Norman’s sins for the last few years, it’s also a bit rote to see it go this route. It’s no big surprise.
This issue also contains a few backup stories, the first of which is “Cat-Nipped” by Marv Wolfman and Terry Dodson. There’s a twist to the tale that connects to Black Cat’s past, which opens the story stealing knockoff art. Spider-Man has to do some detective work, and there are some pulse-pounding chase scenes you won’t want to miss.
Next up is a doughnut tale, “Time to Make the Doughnuts,” by Nikesh Shukla and Chriscross. This story feels right at home for Spider-Man, as he connects with a doughnut street vendor who needs some help with his mom. Shukla captures the hero-of-the-people vibe of Spidey as he checks in and learns a bit about cooking. There’s a nice message here about why we eat what we do and the greater purpose of flavor. The story has a nice message and brings Spidey down to our level.
Wrapping things up with the backups is a fun-loving tale by Lee Gatlin involving Rhino and Thing. It kicks off with Spidey thinking he sees Rhino, only to ruin a surprise party for Watcher. Told in small chapters, the story involves Thing and Rhino being mixed up, which leads to some fun hijinks. Gatlin captures Thing’s attitude perfectly with a nice nod to The Peanuts.
Closing out the issue is a surprise epilogue from Wells and Todd Nauck that helps show where the main story is going. The art is clean, and the Living Brain appears to be on a heroic quest to help Spider-Man.
Enjoy the art and fun backup stories when you read Amazing Spider-Man #50, which puts Green Goblin into a central focus. The art is spectacular, and the legacy of Spider-Man continues to tantalize.
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